Title:Deubiquitylase USP31 Induces Autophagy and Promotes the Progression
in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells by Stabilizing E2F1 Expression
Volume: 24
Issue: 9
Author(s): Wenjun Liang, Mingxia Yang, Xiaohua Wang, Yan Qian, Ruichen Gao, Yujia Shi, Xuejun Shi, Lei Shi, Ting Xu and Qian Zhang*
Affiliation:
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Changzhou Second Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213000, P.R. China
Keywords:
Lung squamous cell carcinoma, proliferation, ubiquitin specific peptidase 31, E2F transcription factor 1, lung cancer, NSCLC.
Abstract:
Background: Autophagy exerts a vital role in the progression of lung squamous cell
carcinoma (LUSC). Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 31 (USP31) has recently been found to be involved
in the development of a variety of cancers. However, whether USP31 modulates autophagy
in LUSC remains unclear.
Methods: This study revealed that high levels of USP31 were discovered in LUSC tissue samples
employing the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database, quantitative real-
time PCR (qRT-PCR), and Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was tested via cell counting
kit 8 (CCK-8) as well as colony formation, demonstrating that USP31-stable knockdown reduced
cell viability.
Results: Immunofluorescence analysis illustrated that USP31 knockdown blocked the occurrence
of LUSC autophagy. Meanwhile, USP31 has been shown to stabilize the expression of E2F transcription
factor 1 (E2F1) through the proteasome pathway. Furthermore, overexpressed E2F1 effectively
eliminated the effect of USP31 knockdown on LUSC cell proliferation and autophagy.
Conclusion: In summary, this investigation proved that USP31 promoted LUSC cell growth and
autophagy, at least in part by stabilizing E2F1 expression, which provided a potential therapeutic
gene for the treatment of LUSC.
